Cover art for podcast The Next Big Idea

The Next Big Idea

203 EpisodesProduced by Next Big Idea ClubWebsite

The Next Big Idea is a weekly series of in-depth interviews with the world’s leading thinkers. Join our host, Rufus Griscom — along with our curators, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — for conversations that might just change the way you see the world. New episodes every Th… read more

episodes iconAll Episodes

Farewell

February 22nd, 2024

0:39

An important message from RadioPublic

GENEROSITY: How Simple Acts of Kindness Can Change the World

March 14th, 2024

1:06:37

Lots of things go viral on the internet: dumb memes, cat videos, one-pan meals, and celebrity gossip. Why not kindness? That’s the delightful …

BURN BOOK: Kara Swisher Takes on Big Tech

March 7th, 2024

50:19

Kara Swisher has been called “pioneering” (the New York Times), “Silicon Valley’s top pundit” (Wired), and “so shrill at this point that only dogs can hear her” (Elon Musk). Thanks to the bad-cop interviews she conducts …

SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: How to Connect With Anyone

February 29th, 2024

1:06:03

According to Merriam-Webster, the word “conversation” has 36 synonyms, ranging from the alliterative (”confabulation”) to the arcane (”persiflage”). …

MIDLIFE: Once a Crisis, Now an Opportunity

February 22nd, 2024

1:03:27

Growing old gets a bad rap, and it's not hard to see why. Your hair thins and your waist thickens. The shot clock ticks down on your career, and you …

RADICAL CANDOR: Why Compassionate Honesty Is a Gift

February 15th, 2024

1:09:34

Honesty may be the best policy, but that doesn’t make giving honest feedback any easier. That’s why Kim Scott, a veteran of Google and Apple, wrote …

BLOCKCHAIN: Why Chris Dixon Still Thinks It Matters

February 8th, 2024

1:05:41

Seventy-two billion dollars. That, according to the Grifter Counter™, is the amount of money that's been swallowed up by crypto and blockchain scams …

BIG BETS: A Practical Guide to Changing the World

February 1st, 2024

54:18

When Rajiv Shah was in his late 20s and didn’t know what to do with his life, he got a job at a fledgling nonprofit, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Before he knew it, he was a driving force behind a global …

CLIMATE OPTIMISM: Can We Still Build a Sustainable World?

January 25th, 2024

59:41

A few weeks ago, USA Today ran a story with the headline "It's over: 2023 was Earth's hottest year, experts say." But is it really over? Hannah Ritchie, a data scientist at the University of Oxford, doesn't think so. In …

FREE WILL: Are We Better Off Without It?

January 18th, 2024

1:07:10

Do we have free will? Do we have a choice in what we do? Philosophers and theologians have debated these questions for centuries; Robert Sapolsky …

ATOMIC HABITS: James Clear’s Ultimate Guide to Building Good Habits (and Breaking Bad Ones)

January 11th, 2024

1:14:37

Forming a new habit is tough. Sticking with it is even tougher. That’s probably why someone buys a copy of James Clear’s 2018 book “Atomic Habits” every 11 seconds. James breaks down the science of habit formation into …

THE GOOD LIFE: Lessons From the World's Longest Study of Happiness

January 4th, 2024

56:45

What makes us happy? Researchers at Harvard have been trying to solve that riddle for 85 years. Now, they think they’ve found the answer. Marc …

How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization (2021)

December 28th, 2023

1:14:10

Do we have alcohol to thank for civilization? The answer, according to Edward Slingerland’s new book, “Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our …

Rory Stewart on Politics, Ambition, and Making a Difference

December 21st, 2023

1:05:55

Rory Stewart may be the most interesting person you’ve never heard of. He’s an adventurer, writer, politician, and nonprofit leader. He walked across …

PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY: Timeless Lessons from Morgan Housel

December 14th, 2023

1:04:21

We may live in an ever-evolving world, but some things never change. The power of a good story. The miracle of compound interest. The cold, hard fact …

EVE: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

December 7th, 2023

1:05:51

The female body has been neglected in anthropological narratives, minimized in the archeological record, and excluded from modern-day clinical …

THE FAMILY OUTING: Secrets, Memory, and Living Authentically

November 30th, 2023

45:29

This week, journalist and podcaster Jessi Hempel joins us to discuss her recent memoir, “The Family Outing,” which tells the remarkable story of how every member of her immediate family came out: Jessi and her father as …

Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversations (with Anna Sale)

November 23rd, 2023

1:08:11

A lot of us run away from tough conversations. Anna Sale runs toward them. For nearly a decade, as the host of the podcast “Death, Sex & Money,” she has been having searching conversations about “the things we think …

ACHIEVEMENT CULTURE: What It’s Doing to Our Kids—and to Us

November 16th, 2023

1:12:27

It's no secret that we live in a ferociously competitive world. But what is the drive to always be the best doing to our kids? That's what journalist Jennifer Breheny Wallace wanted to know when she set out to write her …

FAILURE: The Science of Learning From Your Mistakes

November 9th, 2023

59:00

Failure is inevitable. How we respond to it makes all the difference. Today, Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson joins us to discuss the …

HOW TO KNOW A PERSON: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply (with David Brooks)

November 2nd, 2023

1:05:09

For the past four years, New York Times columnist and acclaimed author David Brooks has been trying to learn the skills that go into seeing others, …

HIDDEN POTENTIAL: Adam Grant on the Science of Achieving Greater Things

October 26th, 2023

1:08:04

We live in a world that worships talent, a world that cheers natural athletes, exalts child prodigies, and venerates virtuosos. But admiring people who are blessed with innate abilities can lead us to underestimate the …

FACIAL RECOGNITION: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It

October 19th, 2023

52:35

When tech journalist Kashmir Hill got a tip about a mysterious app, Clearview AI, that claimed it could identify anyone based on just one photo, she …

Daniel Pink and Brian Lowery Aren’t Sure That You Exist

October 12th, 2023

48:13

Daniel Pink is going through an existential crisis. The culprit? A new book by Stanford professor Brian Lowery.

---

If you want to attend our November …

Susan Cain on the Power of the Bittersweet (2022)

October 5th, 2023

1:14:42

Have you ever been brought to tears by a TV commercial? Do you relish rainy days? Are your favorite songs sad ones? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you, dear listener, know the power of the …

HUMAN COMPATIBLE: Can We Control Artificial Intelligence?

September 28th, 2023

1:12:08

Stuart Russell wrote the book on artificial intelligence. Literally. Today, he sits down with Rufus to discuss the promise — and potential peril — of …

UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY: The Power of Giving People More Than They Expect

September 21st, 2023

1:06:38

When he was 26, Will Guidara took the helm of a middling brasserie in New York City called Eleven Madison Park. A decade later, it was named the best …

ELON MUSK: Walter Isaacson on the World’s Most Polarizing Person

September 14th, 2023

1:07:57

Two years ago, Walter Isaacson, the legendary biographer who has written books about Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci, began shadowing Elon Musk. "I started off with a guy who was …

CHANGE: How to Excel When Everything Is in Flux

September 7th, 2023

1:02:52

We go through at least thirty-six major changes in the course of our adulthoods. And yet adapting to those changes is really, really hard. Why is …

DREAM TOWN: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity

August 31st, 2023

54:08

In the 1950s, Shaker Heights, Ohio, became a national model for housing integration. In the 1970s, it was known as a crown jewel in the national move …

PERENNIALS: How to Thrive in a Post-Generational Society

August 24th, 2023

57:11

Increasing longevity and the explosion of technology are reshaping the world. What will it mean for your education, your career, and your life?

• …

ULTRA-PROCESSED: What Fake Food Is Doing to Our Health

August 17th, 2023

1:15:51

Ultra-processed food makes up 60 percent of the American diet. Though to call it food is a stretch. Because it is not, strictly speaking, food at all. It is an industrially produced edible substance. And it’s killing …

How to Succeed by Quitting (2022)

August 10th, 2023

1:08:42

In “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away,” cognitive scientist turned professional poker player turned bestselling author Annie Duke says mastering the art of quitting is the key to making smart decisions.

(This …

Why the Modern World Puts Us All at Risk for Addiction (2021)

August 3rd, 2023

1:14:33

In “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence,” Dr. Anna Lembke says today’s superabundance of pleasurable stimuli makes us all …

WORK: Henry David Thoreau on Making a Meaningful Living

July 27th, 2023

51:59

Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher, poet, and pencil-maker. He was a great resigner and, above all, a superb writer whose masterpiece, "Walden," is considered by many to be America's first environmentalist manifesto.

RISE AND SHINE: How to Have the Perfect Morning

July 20th, 2023

1:01:06

Research has shown that how you spend your morning can have a significant impact on the rest of your day. If you start off feeling anxious and frazzled, chances are you'll end the day feeling the same way. But if you …

Artificial Intelligence Meets Virtual Worlds: The Future of Sentience

July 13th, 2023

1:19:55

The two hottest topics in tech right now are the rise of generative AI and, with Apple’s recent push into spatial computing, the mainstreaming of augmented reality. Will silicon-based machines develop sentience? Will …

You Should Have More Fun This Summer. Here’s Why.

July 6th, 2023

1:14:25

Are we all so busy doom-scrolling and binge-watching that we’ve forgotten how to have fun? Real fun. Tingly-all-over, natural-high, …

PARKING: How It Explains the World

June 29th, 2023

1:09:25

For decades, urban planners have blanketed our cities with the cheap and convenient car storage known as parking. They've swapped sidewalks for strip …

OUTLIVE (Part 2): How to Optimize Your Diet, Sleep, and Emotional Health

June 22nd, 2023

56:40

Dr. Peter Attia, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Outlive," is back to share cutting-edge tips for improving your sleep, nutrition, and emotional health. (If you missed the first part of our interview with …

OUTLIVE (Part 1): Peter Attia’s Guide to the Science of Longevity

June 15th, 2023

1:15:15

Peter Attia had a problem. It was 2006. He'd recently graduated from Stanford's medical school and was completing a prestigious surgical residency at …

THE WAGER: David Grann Tells a Tale of Shipwreck and Mutiny

June 8th, 2023

53:42

David Grann is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the acclaimed author of "The Lost City of Z" and "Killers of the Flower Moon." In his new book, the #1 New York Times bestseller "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, …

THE REAL WORK: Adam Gopnik on the Mystery of Mastery

June 1st, 2023

47:36

A few years ago, Adam Gopnik, a longtime writer for The New Yorker and three-time winner of the National Magazine Award, started thinking about all …

JOY OF MOVEMENT: How Exercise Can Help You Find Happiness and Connection

May 25th, 2023

56:02

Pay a visit to your local gym, observe the grimacing patrons as they pound the treadmill or march in place on the StairMaster, and you might conclude that exercise is no fun. But it doesn’t have to be that way, …

BREAKTHROUGH: How to Get Unstuck and Achieve Anything

May 18th, 2023

1:07:11

"To be alive is to battle stuckness." So declares NYU professor Adam Alter in his new book, "Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most." Adam has spent years studying why we get stuck — in …

EXCELLENT ADVICE: Life Lessons From Wired Co-Founder Kevin Kelly

May 11th, 2023

49:56

Kevin Kelly has made a career out of looking to the future. He helped pioneer online social networking all the way back in the 1980s, and he …

SELFLESS: Why “You” Are a Social Creation

May 4th, 2023

56:33

You are not autonomous. You are not an island unto yourself. You, my friend, are a social construct. The “self” you haul around — that yammering …

The Next Big Idea Club Presents — "Immortality: A User's Guide"

May 2nd, 2023

9:02

What if you could live forever? Okay, maybe not forever, but for a long, long time — like to 150. First of all, is that even possible? And second, …

Steven Johnson & Michael Specter on the Future of Life

April 27th, 2023

57:49

Last month, longtime New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter released a brand new audiobook with our friends at Pushkin. It’s called “Higher Animals: …

You Need a Bedtime (from The Next Big Idea Daily)

April 25th, 2023

13:14

What if we told you that every day, in just a few minutes, you could get a master class in better, smarter living from the world's best writers? …

SENSES: Gretchen Rubin’s Guide to Getting Out of Your Head and Into the World

April 20th, 2023

55:38

What do your five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch — have to do with happiness? According to Gretchen Rubin, a great deal. The world around us, she says, has the potential to dazzle, to entertain, to …

PSYCH: The Story of the Human Mind

April 13th, 2023

1:02:51

In his expansive new book, "Psych: The Story of the Human Mind," Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, lays out, in his …

PREPPY: The Surprising Origins of American Style

April 6th, 2023

1:03:49

How did Oxford shirts, cashmere sweaters, and chinos become staples of American fashion? How did a style born on Ivy League campuses make its way into the mainstream? What does the way we dress say about who we are?

To …

SUCCESSION: The True Story Behind the Hit Show

March 30th, 2023

48:15

So "Succession" is back.

The Emmy Award-winning series returned to HBO for its fourth and final season last Sunday. The show, if you haven't seen it, centers on Logan Roy, the aging CEO of a media conglomerate called …

ABOLISH POVERTY: Matthew Desmond on How We Can Do It

March 23rd, 2023

1:02:56

RUFUS GRISCOM: Could you share with us your broader mission and how your new book, “Poverty, by America,” supports that mission?

MATTHEW DESMOND: I …

READING: Are We Forgetting How To Do It?

March 16th, 2023

49:19

Maryanne Wolf is a professor at UCLA and the renowned author of "Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain" and "Reader, Come …

David Chalmers Thinks We May Be Living in a Simulation (and He’s OK With It)

March 9th, 2023

1:42:27

Last year, Rufus sat down with philosopher David Chalmers to talk about the allure of virtual reality, whether robots will ever achieve …

Is AI Moving Too Fast? A Conversation With Kevin Roose

March 2nd, 2023

1:08:05

When Kevin Roose, a tech columnist at the New York Times, demoed an AI-powered version of Microsoft's search engine last month, he was blown away. …

LIFE IS SHORT: The Upside of Death

February 23rd, 2023

59:33

Life without death, says philosopher Dean Rickles, is like playing tennis without a net. In his new book, “Life Is Short: An Appropriately Brief …

MUSIC: What the Songs You Love Say About You

February 16th, 2023

55:03

In this special episode, Susan Rogers, a record producer turned cognitive neuroscientist, and Daniel Levitin, author of “This Is Your Brain on Music,” get together to discuss what music has meant in their lives, debate …

AI: The Origin Story

February 9th, 2023

1:14:09

Imagine a world where AI is everywhere — where self-driving cars roam the streets and chatbots can do your homework. Oh, wait. That world already exists. This is exciting news for some. For others, it's slightly …

Not Finished Is Not Failure (from The Next Big Idea Daily)

February 6th, 2023

10:20

Doing is more important than being done. That’s the provocative argument at the heart of a new book by artist and entrepreneur Becky Blades, “Start More Than You Can Finish: A Creative Permission Slip to Unleash Your …

CELLS: Siddhartha Mukherjee on the Breakthroughs That Are Revolutionizing Medicine

February 2nd, 2023

59:52

Siddhartha Mukherjee is an oncologist, professor, researcher, and biotech entrepreneur. He’s also a writer, and a fine one at that. His first book, …

Introducing: The Next Big Idea Daily

January 30th, 2023

9:27

Great news, folks. We just launched a new podcast! It's called The Next Big Idea Daily. Tune in Monday through Friday for quick master classes in …

PLEASURE: An Epicurean Guide to the Good Life

January 26th, 2023

1:14:48

The Greek philosopher Epicurus made a rather bold claim over two thousand years ago. The key to life, he said, was simple: pursue pleasure and avoid …

POWER FAILURE: What Happened to GE? (with Malcolm Gladwell & William Cohan)

January 19th, 2023

58:10

General Electric used to be the most valuable company in the world; now it's practically irrelevant. What happened? Today on the show, we're going to find answers. And to help, we're turning to two writers who have …

DIET: The New Science of Healthy Eating

January 12th, 2023

1:01:09

“Our food decisions,” writes Dr. Tim Spector in his new book, Food for Life, “are the single most important modifiable factor in preventing common diseases and staying healthy.” But how do we know we’re making the right …

How to Develop Your Passions and Avoid Burnout (with Atul Gawande and Adam Grant)

January 5th, 2023

47:25

Renowned surgeon Atul Gawande spends his days in the operating theater and his nights writing articles for The New Yorker and bestselling books like …

FEELINGS: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work

December 29th, 2022

1:01:57

Today, in a special bonus episode, we bring you a live conversation between Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy, authors of “No Hard Feelings: The …

SAPIENS: Yuval Noah Harari on Our Past, Present, and Future

December 22nd, 2022

1:25:19

Yuval Noah Harari is a historian and philosopher whose books — "Sapiens," "Homo Deus," "21 Lessons for the 21st Century," and most recently …

ANALOG: Let’s Build a More Human World

December 15th, 2022

54:49

“The future is digital,” they said. Then the pandemic came along and forced that digital future on us. We traded offices for Zooms, gyms for …

SLEEP: How Understanding Your Body’s Clock Can Revolutionize Your Health

December 8th, 2022

1:09:01

Sleep can enhance your creativity, lift your spirits, improve your sense of humor, and amplify your sociability. So why do so many of us struggle to get a good night's rest? Russell Foster, a professor of circadian …

ANIMALS: They’re Smarter Than You Think

December 1st, 2022

37:05

Alexandra Horowitz takes us inside the mind of a puppy. James Bridle introduces us to slime mold that can outwit the best human engineers. Justin …

HUMOR: The Case for Navigating Life on the Precipice of a Smile

November 24th, 2022

1:15:55

Humor is no laughing matter. It inspires innovation, strengthens relationships, disarms tension, and makes you look smart. Seriously. Stanford professors Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas say the recipe for professional …

GOOD ARGUMENTS: Adam Grant and Champion Debater Bo Seo on the Craft of Persuasion

November 17th, 2022

55:56

When Bo Seo was 8 years old, his family moved from Korea to Australia. He did not speak a world of English. At school, to deflect attention from his …

NEURODIVERSITY: Why No Two Brains Are Alike

November 10th, 2022

1:11:25

There's no such thing as a "normal" brain. And according to Dr. Chantel Prat, a neuroscientist at the University of Washington, that's a very good thing indeed. In her new book, "The Neuroscience of You," Chantel tells …

STATUS: Does Our Need for It Explain ... Everything?

November 3rd, 2022

1:31:30

“Life is a game. There’s no way to understand the human world without first understanding this. Everyone alive is playing a game whose hidden rules …

Bittersweet: An Audio E-Course by Susan Cain

October 27th, 2022

49:42

The Next Big Idea presents an audio masterclass from bestselling author Susan Cain. Drawing on her latest book, "Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing …

Bonus: Eric Barker Gives Daniel Pink Relationship Advice

October 20th, 2022

1:00:53

Eric Barker teaches our curator Daniel Pink how to make friends, disarm marital conflicts, and spot liars.

LONGTERMISM: Why You Should Care About Future People

October 13th, 2022

1:17:18

If the human race lasts as long as a typical mammalian species and our population continues at its current size, then there are 80 trillion people …

QUIT: Why You Have to Give Up if You Want to Get Ahead

October 6th, 2022

1:08:43

In her new book, “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away,” Annie Duke says mastering the art of quitting is the key to making smart decisions.

---

Download the Next Big Idea app today at nextbigideaclub.com/app

PUZZLES: What Crosswords, Riddles, and Wordle Can Teach You About the Meaning of Life

September 29th, 2022

54:26

For the last 25 years, writer A.J. Jacobs has attempted to live his life as a human guinea pig.

“I’ve engaged in a series of experiments on my mind …

BUILD: Tony Fadell’s Guide to Making Cool Stuff

September 22nd, 2022

1:08:18

Tony Fadell led the teams that created the iPod, iPhone, and Nest Learning Thermostat. In his new book, “Build,” he shares everything he’s learned about building great companies and game-changing products.

---

Download …

SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST: How Tech Billionaires Are Preparing for Doomsday

September 15th, 2022

1:04:29

Have you ever found yourself sitting around a table at a luxury resort with five mega-rich strangers who want to know where you think they should …

HAPPINESS: Arthur C. Brooks Shares His Roadmap for Finding Purpose, Meaning, and Success

September 8th, 2022

1:10:59

Arthur C. Brooks used to run a prominent think tank where he was paid handsomely to influence public policy. Did all that success make him happy? …

DeepMind's Demis Hassabis on the future of AI (from The TED Interview)

September 1st, 2022

50:38

Demis Hassabis is one of tech's most brilliant minds. A chess-playing child prodigy turned researcher and founder of headline-making AI company …

Summer Getaway #4: The Making of ‘Bull Durham’ (with Ron Shelton)

August 26th, 2022

29:58

Ron Shelton is an Academy Award–nominated writer and director, former shortstop for the Bluefield Baby Birds, and author of a humdinger of a new …

Summer Getaway #3: The 12-Hour Walk (with Colin O’Brady)

August 19th, 2022

56:47

What happens when you put your phone in airplane mode, walk out your front door, and don’t come home for 12 hours? Our producer Caleb finds out, with …

Summer Getaway #2: An American Odyssey (with Ben McGrath)

August 11th, 2022

57:56

The Ohio, Hudson, Mississippi, and Yellowstone — Dick Conant canoed them all. And then he disappeared.

In his riveting new book, “Riverman,” journalist Ben McGrath tries to track down the man who may be the greatest …

Summer Getaway #1: The Beach (with Sarah Stodola)

August 4th, 2022

49:34

Close your eyes and picture paradise. What do you see? For many people, it’s a turquoise ocean crashing into a white-sand beach. Where did this …

Finding Stillness With Ryan Holiday

July 28th, 2022

40:37

Here’s another episode from our archives that we love: Rufus’s 2020 interview with Ryan Holiday, the author of “Stillness Is the Key,” who shared his …

Amanda Little on the Fate of Food

July 21st, 2022

1:12:21

Today we’re bringing you a timely — and tasty — episode from our archives. Science journalist Amanda Little tells Rufus that the biggest threat posed …

John Colapinto on the Power and Beauty of the Human Voice

July 14th, 2022

1:28:38

Today, we are revisiting one of our favorite episodes: an interview with New Yorker staff writer John Colapinto. In his brilliant book, "This Is the …

THE ESSENTIALS: Our Favorite Moments From Season 4

July 7th, 2022

1:14:05

We laughed. We cried. We learned.

As our fourth season draws to a close, we thought we'd share the moments we're still talking about at Next Big Idea Club HQ.

Further Listening:

REGRETS: Daniel Pink Has a Few (And So …

BICYCLES: Are They the Future of Transportation?

June 30th, 2022

1:03:27

Jody Rosen is a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine and a bike nut who has just published a rousing (and sometimes arousing) book called “Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle.” Today, …

BIG DATA: Cracking the Codes of Love, Happiness and Success

June 23rd, 2022

1:09:59

“You can make better life decisions. Big Data can help you.” So begins “Don’t Trust Your Gut,” a new book by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. Seth, a former Google data scientist, has mined massive data sets in order to answer …

Susan Cain & Daniel Pink: Writing, Longing, and the Search for Meaning

June 16th, 2022

57:47

What do we lose when we avoid sorrow and chase empty delights, when we mask our pain and feign cheerfulness, when we profess to have no regrets and …

RELATIONSHIPS: Why Everything You Know About Them Is (Mostly) Wrong

June 9th, 2022

55:01

Eric Barker is not a people person. “Getting me to write a relationship book,” he says, “is like asking Godzilla to improve the infrastructure in …

How To Be a Grown-Up

June 2nd, 2022

50:32

In this special episode, Daniel Pink delivers a commencement address, Stanford-dean-turned-bestselling-author Julie Lythcott-Haims shares her manual …

IMAGINABLE: How Anyone Can Predict the Future (Yes, Even You)

May 26th, 2022

1:11:57

In January 2020, when the coronavirus started making headlines around the world, Jane McGonigal’s inbox was flooded with emails from Silicon Valley execs, government officials, and non-profit leaders. They all had the …

CULTURE: How Successful Groups Work

May 19th, 2022

1:13:40

The filmmakers at Pixar. The servers at Union Square Cafe. The badasses on SEAL Team Six. What do these super successful groups all have in common? …

GET IT DONE: How the Science of Motivation Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

May 12th, 2022

53:20

University of Chicago professor Ayelet Fishbach has spent the last two decades studying the science of motivation. She has developed a framework for turning idle ambition into forward-moving action. That framework is …

Bonus: The Not-So-Great Resignation (WorkLife with Adam Grant)

May 8th, 2022

38:15

Over the past year, the Great Resignation has been all over the news. Many people are celebrating quitting their jobs — but it’s a decision some will come to regret. So when’s the right time to leave? How do you quit …

FUN: How to Have More of It

May 5th, 2022

1:13:53

Are we all so busy doom-scrolling and binge-watching that we’ve forgotten how to have fun? Catherine Price thinks so. But don’t despair. Her latest …

TWITTER: What Elon Musk’s Acquisition Means for the Future of Social Media

April 28th, 2022

46:23

Why did Elon Musk buy Twitter? What does he plan to do with it? Is this the end of big social or a chance to reinvent it? This week, we’re …

EMOTIONAL: Do Your Feelings Make You Smarter?

April 21st, 2022

49:13

We all strive to think rationally. But it doesn’t always do us much good. Cutting-edge science has revealed that if we want to sharpen our thinking, we need to feel our feelings. That science is the subject of …

ORIGIN: How Did Humans Migrate to the Americas?

April 14th, 2022

1:10:41

Thousands of years ago, humans crossed a land bridge from Siberia into Alaska. They tried to move south, but a two-mile-high, coast-spanning ice wall stood between them and the rest of the continent.

How did they get …

BITTERSWEET: Susan Cain on the Beauty of Sorrow and Longing

April 7th, 2022

1:15:02

Are you elevated by sad songs? Have you ever been brought to tears by a TV commercial? Do you relish rainy days? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you know the power of the bittersweet. Yet chances are …

Regrets: Daniel Pink Has a Few (And So Should You)

March 31st, 2022

1:08:28

“Embedded in songs, emblazoned on skin, and embraced by sages, the anti-regret philosophy is so self-evidently true that it’s more often asserted than argued.” So writes Daniel Pink in his new book, “The Power of …

REALITY+: Are We Living in a Simulation?

March 24th, 2022

1:10:01

Philosopher David Chalmers reckons there’s a 25% chance that we are living in a simulation. And he’s OK with it.

David's new book is "Reality+: …

HURT SO GOOD: The Pleasures of Suffering (Paul Bloom & Susan Cain)

March 17th, 2022

1:01:00

Some people think humans are natural pleasure seekers. But not psychologist Paul Bloom. In his new book, “The Sweet Spot,” Paul says we’re pain …

EMPIRE: Why Ray Dalio Thinks We May Be Headed for Civil War

March 10th, 2022

1:14:21

History, in the eyes of legendary investor Ray Dalio, is a perpetual motion machine. Nations rise and fall according to an inevitable cycle where …

TIME MANAGEMENT FOR MORTALS: Malcolm Gladwell and Oliver Burkeman

March 3rd, 2022

56:22

“The average human lifespan is absurdly, terrifyingly, insultingly short.” So begins Oliver Burkeman’s new book, “Four Thousand Weeks: Time …

EVENING ROCKET: Decoding Elon Musk’s Sci-Fi Visions of the Future

February 24th, 2022

1:06:00

When it comes to Elon Musk, it can be hard to separate the man from the myth. But in her new podcast, “The Evening Rocket,” Harvard historian and New Yorker writer Jill Lepore manages to see through Musk’s mystique, …

GOOD ANXIETY: Can You Turn Worrying Into a Superpower?

January 12th, 2022

46:46

To fret is human. That’s according to recent estimates that suggest 90 percent of the population experiences anxiety. And because anxiety, even in …

HACK YOUR HABITS: The Science of Making Changes That Stick

January 5th, 2022

1:13:45

Why is it so hard to break bad habits and replace them with good ones? You may think it all comes down to willpower. But social psychologist Wendy …

TOGETHER: The Surgeon General’s Prescription for Health and Happiness

December 29th, 2021

46:27

When Dr. Vivek Murthy became U.S. Surgeon General in 2014, he went on a listening tour. What he heard surprised him. Americans were lonely, and it was killing them. In this deeply personal conversation with Next Big …

SPIRITUAL TECHNOLOGIES: Two Scientists Debate the Benefits of Religion

December 22nd, 2021

52:07

The science is clear: people who engage in spiritual practices live longer, happier, healthier lives. For the past few years, two researchers — Dave DeSteno, who runs the Social Emotions Lab at Northeastern, and Lisa …

DAWN OF EVERYTHING: The True History of Humanity

December 15th, 2021

1:20:51

What if everything we think we know about the history of our species is wrong? That’s the provocative question at the heart of a new book by today’s guest, David Wengrow. Hailed as fascinating, brilliant, and …

DOPAMINE NATION: Why the Modern World Puts Us All at Risk for Addiction

December 8th, 2021

1:14:50

In “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence,” Dr. Anna Lembke says today’s superabundance of pleasurable stimuli makes us all …

AMBITION: How to Achieve Success on Your Own Terms

December 1st, 2021

45:57

From the time she was in high school, Shellye Archambeau had one dream: she wanted to run a business. Ultimately, she pulled it off, becoming one of …

FRIENDSHIP: The Science Behind Life’s Deepest Bond

November 24th, 2021

49:21

Friends aren’t just fun to hang out with and handy in a pinch. They’re also a biological necessity. Rufus talks to journalist Lydia Denworth, author …

EXPONENTIAL AGE: Everything Is Accelerating. Who’s at the Wheel?

November 17th, 2021

1:07:32

We’ve all seen the meme. Two images, side by side. On the left, a photo of Jeff Bezos circa 1998. His hair is receding, his smile geeky, his sweater …

NEW POWER: How to Spread Ideas, Build Movements, and Leap Ahead

November 10th, 2021

44:22

Colleges, businesses, and bureaucracies have long operated on an "old power" model — rigid hierarchies that rule from the top down. But Henry Timms …

SPORTS: Life Lessons From an Olympian, a Hockey Coach, and a Middle-Aged Beginner

November 3rd, 2021

1:03:45

In this special episode, three writers share the hard-won wisdom they acquired running track, coaching hockey, and attending surf camp in Costa Rica. First, Olympic runner Alexi Pappas tells us what her career has …

FEELING & KNOWING: Unlocking the Secrets of Consciousness

October 27th, 2021

1:04:35

Look up the term “Renaissance man” in the dictionary, and you'll probably find a photo of Antonio Damasio. He is a polyglot, an avid reader of …

Bonus: Adam Grant and Annie Murphy Paul

October 20th, 2021

59:26

Our curators — Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain, and Daniel Pink — recently named “The Extended Mind” by Annie Murphy Paul one of the best …

LAZINESS: There's No Such Thing

October 13th, 2021

1:05:41

Are you lazy? Social psychologist Devon Price doesn’t think so. In their provocative new book, “Laziness Does Not Exist,” Devon invites us to imagine …

HOW TO CHANGE: Science-Backed Tips for Becoming Your Best Self (Katy Milkman & Daniel Pink)

October 6th, 2021

51:52

When Katy Milkman was a newly minted professor at Wharton, she came across a statistic that stopped her cold: 40 percent of premature deaths result …

RATIONALITY: Steven Pinker’s Love Song to Critical Thinking

September 29th, 2021

1:03:26

In his new book, “Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters,” Steven Pinker writes: “When humans set themselves the goal of improving the welfare of their fellows … and they apply their ingenuity in …

LOONSHOTS: The Science of Generating Crazy Ideas (Safi Bahcall & Daniel Pink)

September 22nd, 2021

1:02:18

What if the fates of careers, companies, even entire industries depend on nurturing crazy ideas? In “Loonshots," physicist turned biotech …

DEADLINE EFFECT: Can You Work Like It's the Last Minute Before the Last Minute?

September 15th, 2021

46:53

The deadline is one of the most powerful tools we have for getting work done. So why are we all so afraid of it? After studying organizations that …

EXTRA LIFE: We Doubled Life Expectancy in the Last Century. Can We Do It Again?

September 8th, 2021

1:11:36

Over the past century, the average human lifespan has doubled. That astonishing statistic is the subject of a new book and PBS series by acclaimed science writer Steven Johnson called “Extra Life: A Short History of …

PARENTING: Learn How to Do It Better With Science, Data, and Mr. Rogers

September 1st, 2021

56:32

Every season, we invite the authors of the best new non-fiction to distill their books into five big ideas. Then they read those ideas aloud. We call these book bites, and our app has hundreds of them. In this special …

PERSONALITY: The Science of Being Who You Want

August 25th, 2021

1:09:02

Cognitive neuroscientist Christian Jarrett believes your personality is not etched in stone. Instead, he says, it's made of soft clay, and with the …

JOYFUL: Ingrid Fetell Lee and Adam Grant on the Objects That Make Us Happy

August 18th, 2021

42:36

Conventional wisdom tells us that real joy comes from within: from exercise or meditation, acts of service or the way we look at the world — pretty much anything except material possessions. But author/designer Ingrid …

CULT OF WE: How WeWork's CEO Vaporized $40 Billion

August 11th, 2021

1:01:33

Adam Neumann, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home (eight of them, actually) and a happy (if slightly hyperactive) disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived forty …

BREATH: Is Deep Breathing the Secret to Long Living?

August 4th, 2021

47:52

We do it 25,000 times a day, but most of us rarely give breathing a thought. Author James Nestor says we’re missing out on one of the most powerful …

DRUNK: Can Alcohol Make You More Creative, Sociable, and Attractive?

July 27th, 2021

1:12:59

Do we have alcohol to thank for civilization? The answer, according to Edward Slingerland’s new book, “Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our …

DEATH, SEX & MONEY: Anna Sale Talks About Hard Things

July 21st, 2021

1:11:10

A lot of us run away from tough conversations. Anna Sale runs toward them. For nearly a decade, as the host of the podcast “Death, Sex & Money,” she has been having searching conversations about “the things we think …

THE BOMBER MAFIA: Malcolm Gladwell on Warfare, Audiobooks, and the Future of Storytelling

July 14th, 2021

58:33

Malcolm Gladwell’s extraordinary new book, “The Bomber Mafia,” tells the story of a group of pilots who met on a muggy airbase in central Alabama and …

EFFORTLESS: Embrace the Easy Option

July 7th, 2021

55:38

Teddy Roosevelt once said that nothing is worth doing “unless it means effort, pain, and difficulty.” And to that bestselling author Greg McKeown …

HIGH CONFLICT: How to Defuse Any Squabble (Amanda Ripley & Susan Cain)

June 30th, 2021

50:51

Have you ever lain awake at night, obsessing over a conflict with a colleague or a relative or a politician you’ve never met? That’s what journalist …

EXTENDED MIND: Want to Get Smarter? Try Thinking Outside of Your Brain

June 23rd, 2021

1:14:40

Modern life has not been easy on our brains. Average IQ scores rose steadily throughout the last century. Now they appear to be leveling off. The problem, according to neuroscientists, may be that we have reached our …

DELUSIONS: How Self-Deception Can Help You Flourish (Shankar Vedantam & Daniel Pink)

June 16th, 2021

58:51

Is it really so bad to be a little bit delusional? Not according to Shankar Vedantam. In his new book, “Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of …

AI: The Extraordinary Story of the Tech That’s Changing the World

June 9th, 2021

1:11:00

In 1958, a psychologist named Frank Rosenblatt took a five-ton computer, fed it a steady diet of punch cards, and taught it how to recognize the …

MINE: How the Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives

June 2nd, 2021

1:13:01

Ownership is simple, right? Something is either yours or it isn’t. Case closed. But who owns the space behind your airplane seat, the results of the …

GATHERING: Mastering the Art of Hanging Out

May 26th, 2021

46:35

You’ve posted a photo of your vaccine card on Instagram. The CDC says it’s okay to leave your bunker. Some of your friends have expressed interest in taking off their masks, breaking the six-foot barrier, and hanging …

EMAIL: Would the World Be Better Without It?

May 19th, 2021

1:13:59

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning and the last thing you do before bed? If you’re a modern knowledge worker, your answer is probably “check my email.” Makes sense. Your inbox is a busy place, …

WORK: Should You Do Less of It? Adam Grant and James Suzman on the 15-Hour Workweek.

May 12th, 2021

45:42

Our work consumes us. But does it have to? Anthropologist James Suzman has spent decades living in the Kalahari Desert with one of the world’s last …

CODE BREAKER: Why Walter Isaacson Thinks CRISPR Will Change Life As We Know It

May 5th, 2021

1:10:32

Almost a decade ago, the biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her team at Berkeley figured out how to rewrite our genetic code using a system called …

FOOD: Can We Taste Climate Change?

April 28th, 2021

1:15:38

What’s for dinner? How will we answer that question in 50 years? In this thought-provoking (and occasionally hunger-inducing) conversation, science journalist Amanda Little tells Rufus that the single biggest threat …

CHATTER: Learning to Love the Voice in Your Head

April 21st, 2021

1:03:32

Whether or not we care to admit it, we all talk to ourselves. A lot. The voice in our heads yaks it up about half the time we’re awake, and it can speak at a rate of 4,000 words per minute. When it really gets going …

HUMOR: How to Turn Levity Into Your Secret Weapon

April 14th, 2021

1:15:28

Humor is no laughing matter. It inspires innovation, strengthens relationships, disarms tension, and makes you look smart. Seriously. So why are we all afraid to be funny at work? In their new book, “Humor, Seriously,” …

BEGINNERS: The Joys of Being an Amateur

April 7th, 2021

1:11:58

A few years ago, as he watched his young daughter try out one hobby after another, a thought crossed Tom Vanderbilt’s mind: Why do we work so hard to …

THINK AGAIN: Adam Grant on the Power of Changing Your Mind

March 31st, 2021

1:29:25

We’re taught that the mark of surefire intelligence is the ability to think and learn. But in his new book, “Think Again,” Adam Grant says that in …

VOICE: You Are What You Speak

March 24th, 2021

1:32:34

Sure, opposable thumbs are handy. But in his brilliant new book, “This Is the Voice,” John Colapinto says the voice is our species’ greatest …

THE BRAIN: A User’s Guide to the Blob Between Your Ears

March 17th, 2021

1:00:59

If you managed to stay awake during Bio 101, then you probably think you have a basic understanding of how your brain works. Not so, says neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett. In this cerebral yet highly entertaining …

SERENDIPITY: Good Luck and How to Get It

March 10th, 2021

1:03:16

In all likelihood, some of the biggest moments in your life, like meeting your spouse or finding your job, were the result of a chance encounter or …

DRUG USE: Is Getting High an American Right?

March 3rd, 2021

1:24:26

Every day, Dr. Carl Hart goes into his laboratory at Columbia University and gets people high. That research has led him to a surprising conclusion: …

POST CORONA: Predicting the Future With Scott Galloway

February 25th, 2021

1:09:11

We don’t know when the pandemic will end, but we do know this: while we’ve been stuck at home, the world has been spinning faster than ever. Name any …

Season 3: New Ideas, Same Great Taste

February 19th, 2021

0:57

The Next Big Idea returns on February 25th.

LET’S BE REASONABLE: Sam Harris and Rufus in Conversation

September 25th, 2020

1:06:27

Neuroscientist, philosopher, podcaster, author, meditation guru, and unabashed atheist Sam Harris is one of our best-known — and most controversial — public intellectuals. In this bonus episode, he and Rufus talk about …

MIND GAMES: What Poker Can Teach Us About Luck, Skill, and Ourselves

September 1st, 2020

50:05

You have to play with the hand you’re dealt. At least that’s what we’re always told. But is it really true? How much of what we achieve in life is …

TRANSCENDENCE: Finding Fulfillment Beyond Ourselves

August 25th, 2020

52:32

You may have heard about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which sees human development as a sort of a pyramid, with survival needs at the bottom, social and emotional needs in the middle, and “self-actualization” at the …

HUMANKIND: Finding Hope in Human History

August 18th, 2020

48:18

Our society is built on the assumption that we’re all a broken stoplight away from reverting to our animal selves. It’s what we’ve come to call “realism.” Historian Rutger Bregman thinks that kind of realism is, well, …

MIGRATION: Why Human Beings Were Built to Move

August 11th, 2020

47:46

Birds do it, bees do it, even fishes in the seas do it. So why do we have such a hard time when people migrate from one place to another? Science writer Sonia Shah presents the evidence that migration is central to the …

BREATH: Harnessing the Power of a Lost Art

August 4th, 2020

48:12

We do it 25,000 times a day, but most of us rarely give breathing a thought. Author James Nestor says we’re missing out on one of the most powerful …

PERSUASION: How to Change People’s Minds

July 28th, 2020

50:29

Businesses want people to buy their products. Parents want their kids to eat their vegetables. We all want to convince someone to do something. So we push and we prod – but often to no avail. Wharton marketing professor …

ALCHEMY: How Our Creations Recreate Us

July 21st, 2020

48:35

Since humans sharpened the first stick and lit the first fire, we have been on an innovation spree, constantly developing new tools and materials to …

UPSTREAM: Solving Problems Before They Happen

July 14th, 2020

47:07

We knew a pandemic was coming. We knew our police were treating some of us differently than others. So why were we so unprepared for what happened? …

CIVILIZATION: Recalculating the Price of Progress

July 7th, 2020

51:16

Cutting-edge science, music and art, powerful technology, plentiful food. It’s no wonder we sing the praises of civilization. But do we really have …

TOGETHER: A Doctor’s Prescription for Health and Happiness

June 30th, 2020

47:56

When Dr. Vivek Murthy became U.S. Surgeon General in 2014, he went on a listening tour. What he heard surprised him. Americans were lonely, and it was killing them. In this deeply personal conversation with Next Big …

WEIRDNESS: How to Make it Your Superpower

June 23rd, 2020

46:34

Olga Khazan describes weirdness as not fitting neatly into a box — regardless of what that box may be. It doesn’t just make other people see you as different — it also makes you feel like you don’t belong. But in this …

BOYS & SEX: Coming of Age in America

June 16th, 2020

45:11

Hook-ups, sexting, friends with benefits, ubiquitous porn — sometimes it seems like boys today are growing up in a world of easy sex and mindless gratification. But sit down and talk to them and you get a different …

FRIENDSHIP: The Science and Power of Life’s Deepest Bond

June 9th, 2020

50:30

Friends aren’t just fun to hang out with and handy in a pinch. They’re also a biological necessity. Rufus talks to journalist Lydia Denworth, author …

THINKING AHEAD: How to Make Life’s Big Decisions

June 3rd, 2020

48:05

We all face fork-in-the-road moments in our lives. In his 2005 bestseller “Blink,” Next Big Idea Club curator (and this episode’s guest interviewer) …

LISTENING: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters

May 26th, 2020

44:52

In the cacophony of modern life, it can seem that talking, scoring points, and being heard are more important than paying attention to what others have to say. But journalist Kate Murphy says listening — really …

SUCCESSFUL AGING: How to Live a Full, Long Life

May 19th, 2020

48:39

Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, we're living longer, on average, than at any time in history. So why do so many of us act like our last decades are a time to lower our expectations? Neuroscientist and musician Daniel …

Rethinking Big Ideas: Adam Grant on Finding Balance

May 12th, 2020

49:31

For the grand finale of our stay-at-home miniseries, Rufus talks about work-life balance, the future of education, and the addictive nature of generosity with author, podcaster, and Next Big Idea Club curator Adam Grant.

Rethinking Big Ideas: Priya Parker on Gathering Apart

May 5th, 2020

38:25

In “The Art of Gathering,” conflict resolution specialist Priya Parker writes that “Every gathering is an opportunity to create a world we wish …

Rethinking Big Ideas: The Path to a More Generous World

April 28th, 2020

33:03

Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler has never felt comfortable with an economic system that values short-term profits over long-term human needs. In a quarantine conversation with host Rufus Griscom, he shares his …

Rethinking Big Ideas: Daniel Pink on the Future of Work

April 21st, 2020

42:08

How will the pandemic change the way we organize our days? Our sense of purpose? Our commitments to others? So many questions! Who better to answer than Next Big Idea Club curator Daniel Pink, author of six books about …

Rethinking Big Ideas: On Finding Joy in Simple Pleasures

April 16th, 2020

31:30

Last season, author/designer Ingrid Fetell Lee taught us about joy spotting. It’s the practice of going out into the world and finding ordinary objects that make you feel extraordinarily happy. But what about when you …

Rethinking Big Ideas: Steven Johnson on Scientific Breakthroughs

April 9th, 2020

34:18

What kinds of bold thinking might lead us out of this pandemic? In this lively conversation, Steven Johnson and Rufus Griscom talk about the …

Rethinking Big Ideas: Susan Cain on Solitude

April 2nd, 2020

25:11

Last season, we brought you ideas with the power to change the way you see the world. Now that the world’s been turned upside down, we thought it’d be a good time to invite back some of our favorite guests to give us …

STILLNESS: How to Find Peace in a Frantic World

January 28th, 2020

45:22

What do the Buddha, John F. Kennedy, Mr. Rogers, and Leonardo da Vinci all have in common? The ability to be still and tune out the busy, buzzing …

FREE MONEY: Why Andrew Yang Thinks a Giveaway Can Save the Economy

January 21st, 2020

47:57

Andrew Yang has a pretty bleak vision for the future. The way he sees it, we’re staring down the barrel of a techno-apocalypse. Robots will replace millions of workers. Income inequality will skyrocket. And social …

HABITS: How to Let Go of The Old and Bring in the New

January 14th, 2020

46:12

Why is it so hard to break bad habits and replace them with good ones? You may think it all comes down to willpower. But social psychologist Wendy …

GATHERING: How to Make Our Time Together Meaningful

January 7th, 2020

45:53

Why do so many of our get-togethers feel awkward and unproductive? Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters,” says it’s because most of us don’t know how to transform stuffy …

FUTURE: Can We Build a More Generous World

December 24th, 2019

49:09

In this episode, we’re peering into the future with Kickstarter co-founder and CEO Yancey Strickler. He’s got a new book out called “This Could Be …

SUCCESS: The Dirty Secret of Getting Ahead

December 17th, 2019

47:02

Most of us are taught hard work and talent are the keys to getting ahead. Turns out it’s not so easy. In his new book, “The Meritocracy Trap,” Yale professor Daniel Markovits says meritocracy isn’t leveling the playing …

TRUST: Malcolm Gladwell on How We Talk To Strangers

December 10th, 2019

42:09

Roses are red, violets are blue, and Malcolm Gladwell has written yet another bestseller. It's called "Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know …

POWER: Why You Have More Than You Think

December 3rd, 2019

44:00

Colleges, businesses, and bureaucracies have long operated on an "old power" model — rigid hierarchies that rule from the top down. But Henry Timms …

PERCEPTION: Why What You See Is Not Reality

November 26th, 2019

44:46

What you see is what you get, right? Nope. In his mind-bending new book, "The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes," Don …

UNCENSORED: What Free Speech Debates Teach Us About Empathy

November 19th, 2019

47:39

As a college student, Zachary Wood ignited a national debate when he invited controversial speakers — anti-feminists, climate-change deniers, and …

CONFLICT: How to Have More Productive Disagreements

November 12th, 2019

43:52

Have you ever had one of those arguments — whether with a friend or a colleague, a loved one or a perfect stranger — that you both vehemently …

JOYFUL: Why Ordinary Objects Can Make You Extraordinarily Happy

November 6th, 2019

41:53

Conventional wisdom tells us that real joy comes from within: from exercise or meditation, acts of service or the way we look at the world—pretty much anything except material possessions.

But author/designer Ingrid …

CODERS: The Invisible Architects Who Shape Our Lives

October 30th, 2019

41:44

Our world is awash in code, and those zeroes and ones aren't as impersonal as you might think. In his new book, "Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World," journalist Clive Thompson provides an …

RACIAL BIAS: Why We Have It and What We Can Do About It

October 22nd, 2019

43:35

Stanford psychology professor Jennifer Eberhardt has spent years studying how racial bias affects all of us — yes, all — in ways we don't realize. In …

INDISTRACTABLE: Staying Focused in a World of Distractions

October 16th, 2019

45:37

Nir Eyal’s last book, “Hooked,” taught Silicon Valley how to make addictive technology. In his new book, “Indistractable, he gives you the tools to …

RANGE: Why Generalists Succeed in a Specialists’ World

October 2nd, 2019

47:50

You know Malcolm Gladwell's “10,000-Hour Rule.” But did you know that, according to David Epstein, it doesn't work? That's what Epstein argues in his …

Introducing The Next Big Idea

October 1st, 2019

1:34

The Next Big Idea premieres October 15th.

Loading ...

Listen to The Next Big Idea

RadioPublic

A free podcast app for iPhone and Android

  • User-created playlists and collections
  • Download episodes while on WiFi to listen without using mobile data
  • Stream podcast episodes without waiting for a download
  • Queue episodes to create a personal continuous playlist
RadioPublic on iOS and Android
Or by RSS
RSS feed
https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LI1683199352

Connect with listeners

Podcasters use the RadioPublic listener relationship platform to build lasting connections with fans

Yes, let's begin connecting
Browser window

Find new listeners

  • A dedicated website for your podcast
  • Web embed players designed to convert visitors to listeners in the RadioPublic apps for iPhone and Android
Clicking mouse cursor

Understand your audience

  • Capture listener activity with affinity scores
  • Measure your promotional campaigns and integrate with Google and Facebook analytics
Graph of increasing value

Engage your fanbase

  • Deliver timely Calls To Action, including email acquistion for your mailing list
  • Share exactly the right moment in an episode via text, email, and social media
Icon of cellphone with money

Make money

  • Tip and transfer funds directly to podcastsers
  • Earn money for qualified plays in the RadioPublic apps with Paid Listens